tear me to pieces, skin and bone (hello, welcome home)
by MadHare0512
Summary: Nick had had a bad feeling about the day since he'd woken up from a nightmare that morning and Monroe and Rosalee weren't in the bed with him.


tear me to pieces; skin and bone (hello, welcome home)

By: AndiKaneUnderwood

**AU: Canon Divergence, Altered Timeline**

Nick had had a bad feeling about the day since he'd woken up from a nightmare that morning and Monroe and Rosalee weren't in the bed with him.

He wasn't sure where they'd gotten off to, but he knew they probably wouldn't be far. It was rare they left the house while he was sleeping. He pulled on a new shirt and sighed, running a hand through his hair. He wanted to be able to cuddle up to his lovers and go back to sleep, it was still an hour before he had to be up. However, he wouldn't be satisfied until he figured out where they'd gone. He headed down the stairs.

Nick's first thought was to check the kitchen. Neither Monroe or Rosalee was there, but there was a note on the table.

_Emergency at the shop. Sorry, we aren't there. We'll be back tonight to celebrate. Happy birthday!_

_Monroe and Rosalee_

So they'd gone to the shop. Nick put the note down and sighed again. He wanted his lovers to cuddle up with, but that wasn't possible right now. Well, he'd get to see them tonight. He sent a text to tell them he was awake and thank them for the note. Monroe responded saying they were sorry to not be there to wish him a happy birthday in person. Nick responded that as long as he was told, he didn't mind it being by note.

Then Nick settled down in front of the TV to watch the news, hoping for an easy day. He would work a case on his birthday if he had to, but that didn't mean he'd be happy to see a dead body. When the time came, he got a shower, brushed his teeth, shaved, and headed out the door. He hoped his feeling was wrong.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

His feeling was not wrong.

Nick did end up having a case. The victim was found in the sewer without their head. Hank seemed to take this one personally, a drug dealer he'd dealt with having done the same thing. Renard looked to be taking it personally as well, though Nick wasn't sure why. Maybe it had something to do with the tattoo on the victim's inner wrist.

At any rate, the Captain was putting a lot of pressure on Nick and Hank to get this case closed quickly and Hank was snappish and short. Nick had tried to cheer him up with a few teasing words, as it usually helped Hank's mood, but Hank wasn't in the mood for joking. Nick didn't know the Captain well enough to make the same kind of jokes with him as he did with Hank, so he left well enough alone there. He'd been a bit upset that the Captain saw it fit to speak to him as a lesser cop, but he could brush that off, he wasn't going to act rude just because his superior was having a bad day.

Long story short, Nick had been getting the shit end of the stick from Hank and the Captain since the case was first given to them. Now, he could handle Hank being rude with grace and dignity, that wasn't the issue. He could even handle being spoken to like a beat cop rather than a Detective, that wasn't an issue either, just a minor annoyance.

The issue was that everyone seemed to be taking all their anger out on him. Nick wasn't quite sure what had happened, be it a spell or everyone just having a bad day, but every minor annoyance just seemed to make him a prime target. The printer broke down? Must be Nick's fault. Your coffee went cold? Burkhardt's to blame. Got yelled at by a superior? Nick wasn't even in the precinct at the time, but it was still somehow his fault.

Nick was getting sick of it. The only one not taking something out on him was Wu, who was out with the flu that day.

He'd _hated_ being at the bottom of the totem pole as a beat cop, never truly seen or appreciated, and _never _part of the action. Nick had clawed his way up the ladder, made it to Detective. He was _happy _here, happier than working the streets and chasing purse-snatchers. He didn't want to go back to being treated like he wasn't good for anything more than writing speeding tickets and roping off crime scenes.

Nick had been contemplating this while going over the evidence file as his computer loaded pictures of men with similar tattoos he'd gotten off the DMV's records. It was then, of course, that everything went downhill.

Being in his line of work meant Nick was used to seeing things like dead bodies, disembodied creatures, and the like, but this case was particularly disgusting. Nick wasn't quite sure why it was difficult for him to deal with it today, but he was getting along alright for now. Hank had gone down to Forensics to check on something and Nick had texted Monroe to ask if he knew of any Wessen that took the heads of their victim and nothing else. Nick was honestly looking forward to hearing from his lover. Monroe and Rosalee would be happy to hear from him if nothing else, it would be a nice change of pace. Once he'd heard back from Monroe, a negative on any rituals, cultures, or Wessen in general, he decided to collect Hank and go back over the crime scene. Maybe there was something they were missing.

He'd stood to grab his coat, not noticing the janitor walking his giant garbage can around the floor as he collected the garbage from the officers' desks. Now, Nick had already been having a bad day. Getting shoulder-checked and losing his balance, sending him falling to the floor and crashing into the garbage can was just the rotten cherry on top. The Detective who'd done it, Gerald Jackson, scoffed and kept walking, not bothering to see if Nick had been injured at all; no-one stopped to see if Nick was okay. They all went about their day like it hadn't happened.

Nick wiped the remnants of a half-eaten burger from his face and sighed. He looked at the shocked janitor and offered what he hoped was a smile instead of a grimace, pulling himself in a sitting position. "You alright Wallace?"

The bewildered man nodded, staring at Nick with surprise written all over his face. "I-... I'm so sorry, sir. I was just getting the trash like I usually do."

"It's not your fault, Wallace. I'm alright. Let me help you out." Nick began helping Wallace scoop piles of trash back into the trash can, getting the napkins he kept at his desk to take care of any sticky mess left on the floor. "There."

Wallace smiled, "Thank you, Detective."

Nick nodded, "No problem, Wallace. You have a nice day." He then turned back to his computer, logged off, and grabbed his jacket. He went to Renard's office, which was thankfully empty, and left a note.

_Due to personal reasons, I'll be leaving early. Please don't call unless in an emergency._

_Thanks._

_Detective Nick Burkhardt_

Nick signed the paper, dated it, then left the building feeling only a little vindicated. He needed a shower. Hopefully, by the time he was clean, his lovers would be home.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

Monroe and Rosalee _were_ home when he got back. They hurriedly hid something in the kitchen when he unlocked the door and came in. Whatever it was, he honestly didn't care. All he wanted was a shower and sleep. "Nicky!" Rosalee smiled, coming over. She stopped short when she saw the state he was in, "Oh my God, what happened?"

Nick shook his head, "Some detective hit my shoulder and I crashed into the janitor's garbage can. He reached up and pulled the sticky lump of God-only-knows-what out of his hair, throwing it into the garbage can and sighing again. It seemed to be all he could do today.

Monroe had come over now and was gently taking his jacket to be cleaned off and washed or dry cleaned depending on the tag. "Was anyone hurt?"

Nick shook his head, "Nothing but my pride and Wallace's nerves. I'm going to get a shower."

"Want us to join you?" Rosalee asked softly.

Nick paused at the staircase, thinking honestly on that, but decided it would be best if they didn't. He shook his head again, "Not this time, Rose. Thanks though." He made it to the bathroom and closed the door, leaning against it as he let the events of the day wash over him. He wasn't upset about it, though he had plenty of reason to be. He was mostly just upset about his nightmare. He'd been so rattled over it this morning and not having his partners nearby hadn't helped. So, when his eyes filled with tears and his vision blurred more than usual, it wasn't because of his day, it was because of his God-awful nightmare. Or at least, that's what he told himself as he sniffled, then ran the water and removed his contacts.

He wasn't crying because the man he'd begun to think of like a brother had snapped at him. He wasn't crying because his boss was treating him like shit. He wasn't crying because he'd been humiliated in front of the _entire _precinct, on his birthday no less, and no one had come to his defense. He wasn't crying because he was missing his parents and his aunt once again. He just wasn't crying. He swiped away the tears angrily, biting back sobs and whimpers, praying for it to stop. He was a grown man, he shouldn't be so upset over this. He scrubbed himself down quickly, running shampoo covered hands through his hair and wishing he'd accepted the offer to let his lovers join him. At least then, he'd feel better.

Nick stopped the water and got out, toweling down and smiled when he noticed the sweats and old t-shirt someone had brought into the bathroom for him. They were big on him, so they were Monroe's as opposed to his own. At least _someone _cared about him today. He towel-dried his hair, slipped on his glasses, and left the bathroom, setting the towel over the shower curtain to dry. He headed down to the kitchen. There he found Monroe and Rosalee, also dressed down and holding their respective mugs. Monroe's mug was white and brown, loopy words scrawled across the front, declaring "Clocks Are My Mistress" to whoever was willing to read it. Rosalee's was green and had vines and herbs scattered across the backdrop, small letter near the bottom saying "My Remedies Are Better Than Yours".

Monroe looked up as Nick approached, "Hey," he murmured, voice soft. He offered Nick a blue mug, the one with the hand-painted police badge, full of tea and Nick took it gratefully, tucking himself to Monroe's side and sighing. "Wanna talk about it?"

"I'd have to go back to this morning," Nick replied, sipping the tea and humming at its warmth. He'd been cold since he crashed into the trash can, he realized with a shiver.

"That's fine, just tell us all about him, hmm?" Monroe replied as he and Rosalee led Nick to the coach and curled up on either side of him.

Nick leaned into them, letting himself leech their heat as he began the story. "It started when I woke up I guess. I had a nightmare that scared me and all I wanted to do was curl up with both of you again and go back to sleep, but you all weren't here, so I couldn't. I ended up watching the news for the next hour until I had to get ready for work. Then I got ready and left.

"When I got there, it was fine. Everything seemed pretty normal until we got a call about the case we're working on. Then everything kind of flipped. Everyone was just angry and frustrated and I guess I made the perfect target for them to take out their anger and frustration on. Hank and Renard were taking the case badly I guess, I know Hank had a run-in a few years ago with a drug dealer who liked to kill people the same way the victim was murdered and I think Renard was worried about the tattoo on the victim's wrist. Everyone was awful to me, I don't know what the deal was. I tried to defuse the tension with Hank, but he was snappy and short. I didn't bother with the Captain. He talked to me like I was still working on the streets, I felt like a beat cop rather than a Detective." Nick said all of this at a whisper, voice sad and pained.

Monroe hissed and Rosalee growled in displeasure. They both knew how much Nick had _hated_ being a beat cop. He had loved helping people, don't get him wrong, but hated that he couldn't do more, that he couldn't _truly_ investigate anything and bring the families affected peace. He'd worked harder than anyone else in the department to become a Detective, he'd wanted it more than anyone had before. He'd done anything and everything to help his chance, willing to do just about anything. More than once, Nick had come home dead on his feet and collapsed on the couch, completely exhausted. It was worth every moment to see the excitement on Nick's face when he found out he made it to Detective and got the badge to go with it.

"The worst of it came when I was searching through the DMV and prison records for anyone had a tattoo like our victim. I wad trying to go and get Hank, go back to the scene, walk through it to see if we could find anything more to give us a lead. That's when the other Detective knocked me over. Thankfully I only hit the trash can and not Wallace. Poor guy's a bit fragile**(1)**. No one came to help us either, so I helped clean up what was on the floor and left." Nick finished, feeling much better now that he'd gotten it all out.

Monroe hummed and Rosalee curled closer. Nick sighed, dropping his head on Monroe's shoulder and letting himself feel the exhaustion creeping over him. His eyes fluttered shut, sleep overtaking him before he could fight it. Just before it did though, he heard Rosalee murmur something to Monroe. He couldn't make it out, but he could make out Monroe's response, "Let him sleep. We'll talk to him about it later."

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

When he woke up, Nick was still on the couch with a blanket wrapped around him. Monroe wasn't around, but he could hear Rosalee in the kitchen. Nick sat up and folded the blanket over the back of the couch, put his glasses back on, then went to join Rosalee in the kitchen. She was doing the dishes when he wrapped his arms around her from behind. She didn't startle, which Nick was happy about. He hated scaring people. "Hi, Nick. Nice nap?" Rosalee asked.

Nick nodded, burying his nose in Rosalee's hair, "Mmhm."

Rosalee rinsed off the last dish and set it over to dry, then turned and wrapped her arms around Nick's torso. They stood there for several moments simply holding each other in comfortable silence. Then Nick sighed, "Where's Monroe gone?"

"He's running an errand for me," Rosalee replied, shifting so she could better hug her boyfriend.

"Did he by chance go to the precinct?" Much as Nick loved the protectiveness, he didn't want to have to back down to the precinct to stop his lover from doing something stupid. Monroe would do something stupid, he's done it before.

"Only to pick something up, I promise. I was on the phone with him the whole time." Rosalee nuzzled closer, happily keeping her lover close and letting is cold skin warm up beneath her hands.

Nick closed his eyes, soaking in the scent of Rosalee, all spices and cinnamon. He loved her so much, he hoped she knew that. God, he didn't deserve her. They stood there a while longer, Rosalee letting Nick's body leech warmth and cuddles until the door opened and Nick's eyes snapped open. He was tense for a few moments, then he relaxed with a sigh. It was only a few more seconds before Monroe walked into the kitchen. "Hey, Nick, you're awake! Feeling any better?"

Nick smiled, letting Monroe pull him closer and into a hug. "Much, yeah," he agreed.

Monroe grinned back, squeezing Nick tighter, then letting him go and reaching into the bag. "Okay, I got everything, Rose, and Nick's awake. Shall we celebrate?"

Rosalee smiled, coming over and placing a hand on Nick's shoulder. "Well, he _is _awake and we _are _prepared to celebrate. Are you up for celebrating Nick? You've had a hard day and we'd understand if you'd rather wait."

Nick hummed, "I can't think of a single thing I'd rather do than celebrate with you two." He pulled Rosalee flush against his side and laughed when her smile brightened as she covered his eyes with a hand under his glasses.

A rustling came to life and Monroe jokingly called while Rosalee guided Nick to sit down, "No peeking, Nick!"

Nick grasped Rosalee's wrists and mock pulled it down, "Rose, please!"

Rosalee laughed, warm hand holding firm over Nick's eyes, "Nope! Not until we're done."

Monroe laughed and winked at Rosalee, letting her know he was finished. "And, open!"

Rosalee took her hand away from Nick's eyes and Nick blinked, adjusting his glasses as his eyes caught on the table. There sat a small cake and a handful of wrapped presents. He glanced at Monroe and Rosalee. They smiled back. "This is great, guys."

Monroe came over, "Least we can do. I'm sorry we couldn't go bigger." The Blutbad set a hand on Nick's shoulder, looking apologetic.

Rosalee came to his other side and offered, "Customers have been slow this month, I've had to forage the herbs and spices myself at times."

Which meant she hadn't bought the herbs as she normally would have. She'd spent hours finding, cleaning, pressing, chopping, and preserving the herbs and spices until she'd properly stocked the storeroom. All that time in the shop wasn't just for customers as Nick had originally thought. He watched them for a moment, feeling very loved and appreciated. "Thank you." he murmured, pulling first Rosalee, then Monroe down. He granted them both a kiss, then stood momentarily to hug them both tightly.

_God_, he loved them so damn _much_.

Monroe laughed, "Alright, alright. Food first, then the gifts."

So, they ate the cake and spoke about whatever came to mind, be it the weather or their jobs or Nick's endless curiosity about the Wessen world his lovers grew up in. When the first gift was pushed forward, Nick almost didn't want to open it so he could keep talking to Monroe and Rosalee, but with the excitement on their faces, how could he refuse. So, he carefully tore open the wrapping and chuckled when he saw the gift. It was definitely from Hank, who written a hasty apology and a few IOUs down on a card slipped in with the gifts.

_Nick, I'm so sorry I acted like I did today. I'll explain fully later if you want, but there's no excuse for treating you like that. For now, happy birthday and I appreciate you being my partner._

_Hank_

The gift itself was a new leather jacket similar to the one Nick already had. No wear and tear, of course, Nick wore that black leather jacket everywhere, it was bound to get destroyed eventually, so perhaps it was better to start breaking in a new one. The old one had been a gift and after all, he didn't want to lose it or damage it beyond repair. "Thank you, Hank." Nick grinned. His lovers laughed and he carefully set the jacket aside, reaching for the next gift. This one was from Renard, also with a note.

_Nick,_

_My deepest apologies for my actions today. My worries got the better of me and I took it out on the department, but most of all, on you. I'm sorry._

_Wishing you a happy birthday, and hoping this begins to make amends,_

_Captain Sean Renard_

This gift was significantly more expensive; three tickets to California, a chance to see Hollywood. Nick let out a low whistle, "These must've cost a small fortune. Entirely worth it, I'm sure, but _wow_."

Monroe took them, "He means for you to go soon, these are filled out for the summer. You'll have to use vacation time."

Nick shrugged, "I think we could all use the vacation. Long as Rose is okay with closing the shop and you're okay with leaving your clocks."

They glanced at each other and nodded. Nick smiled, then turned back to the rest of the gifts. There was one from Wu and Juliette, one from a particularly grateful person he'd saved a few years ago (funnily enough on his birthday as well), and then he got to the one from Monroe and Rosalee. It was small, but the wrapping was beautiful. He unwrapped it and pulled out a key. He turned it over in his hand. He already had a key to the house and the spare key to both Monroe and Rosalee's cars, what could this possibly be for?

He glanced at Monroe and Rosalee, raising an eyebrow. They glanced at each other again and smiled. They each grabbed a hand, pulling him to his feet. He followed them to a room in the house. The old storage room Monroe kept meaning to clean up. He glanced at his lovers again. The Blutbad nodded and the Fuschbau made a shooting gesture, so Nick slid the key into the lock and opened the door. When he stepped in, he was floored. The room was completely transformed, there was a desk, a couch, a nightstand, a filing system, paper, and pencils. There were also blankets and a small mini-fridge. Nick turned to Monroe and Rosalee.

"You've been saying for months how much you hate staying at the precinct to get detective work done, or having to go to the trailer every time you need to look through the journals and stuff. Well, now you have a place to work from home." Monroe explained. "I wasn't sure if you'd like it, so I haven't moved anything yet, but-" he cut off as Nick hugged him hard.

"It's perfect. I love it! Thank you so much!" Nick cried, moving from Monroe to Rosalee, then pulling Monroe in again and hugging them both. "Thank you!"

Monroe and Rosalee laughed, hugging him back. "You're welcome."

They spent the rest of the day moving Nick's family journals and the other things from Aunt Marie's trailer into the new study. When they finally went to bed, Nick felt so much better. He fell asleep nestled between his two lovers. He had another nightmare, but this time when he jerked awake, he felt warmth against his back and front, arms wrapped around him while his legs tangled with two other pairs. He sighed, curling closer to his lovers' embrace.

Tomorrow was a new day, and he had a feeling it would be _great_.

**(1) Wallace has a rare condition that causes him to have extremely brittle bones. Mr. Glass from the Unbreakable universe had the same disease.**


End file.
